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Three minutes later.
A halo of light appeared around each person.
Then they were teleported back to their respective exam sites.
In front of the plaza at City No. 1 High School.
Two figures were teleported out.
Sun Ze was brimming with confidence, standing tall with his chest out. His handsome face gleamed in the sunlight, making him look every bit the school heartthrob.
Ling Zhan wore a smile, with a hint of honest simplicity about him. He seemed like a completely different person from the decisive fighter he had been in the secret realm.
With his pack on his back, he stood beside the dazzling Sun Ze, looking just like Sun Ze's sidekick.
At that moment.
The instant the two appeared, thunderous applause shook the heavens and earth, echoing through City No. 1 High School as everyone welcomed the return of their two outstanding students.
Sun Ze stuck his chest out even farther and raised his chin higher. He even spread his arms, ready to receive everyone's praise and admiration.
However.
"Senior Ling Zhan, I love you!"
"Welcome back, Ling God!"
"Senior Ling Zhan, you were amazing! I like you so much!"
"As expected of Senior Ling Zhan! His performance this time was so incredible, you could even call it a god descending to earth!"
"..."
Shrieks, praise, and gasps of amazement rose and fell, all mingling in a noisy uproar. The atmosphere was electric.
Hearing all this, Sun Ze froze in place, arms still spread as he waited to bask in the glory.
He let out a forlorn sigh. Why was I born when Ling Zhan already existed?
Principal Zhong had already called for a photographer. He jogged over, first taking Sun Ze by the hand and praising him a few times.
Then he turned around and clasped Ling Zhan's hands tightly, his face alight with excitement. "Ling Zhan, you've brought great honor to City No. 1 High School! We're proud of you!"
Faced with Principal Zhong's unstinting praise, Ling Zhan was a little at a loss.
Of course, he was even more at a loss in the face of the overwhelming cheers and applause.
"Qi Mu, what are you standing there grinning for? Get over here! These two are both students you taught. Come take a photo with them!"
Principal Zhong scolded Qi Mu, who was still grinning foolishly.
Qi Mu hurried over, his face full of pride.
He had taught two students who ranked in the province's top hundred! And one of them was the champion of the Nanzhou Province Trial Ranking!
Damn, nothing beat the satisfaction of a moment like this!
A lot of underclassmen crowded around too, chattering as they asked Ling Zhan questions.
"Senior Ling Zhan, how did you feel when you faced that boss?"
"What a stupid question! Let me ask! Senior Ling Zhan, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Get lost! Women will only slow Senior Ling Zhan down when he's drawing his sword. Let us male underclassmen ask!"
With so many people swarming him, Ling Zhan could barely keep up.
He hadn't expected to receive such a warm welcome and so much praise.
Principal Zhong clearly noticed Ling Zhan's discomfort and quickly barked at the crowd, "Stop bothering Ling Zhan! Get back to your seats, now! Teachers, take attendance. Anyone who doesn't return to their seat will lose credit and have their parents called!"
That one sentence.
Sent the underclassmen groaning.
At the same time, they retreated like the tide going out, hurrying back to their seats.
Most students were afraid of having their parents called.
After dealing with the students.
Principal Zhong turned to Ling Zhan with a smile and said:
"Ling Zhan, hurry home and tell your family the good news. Take some time to relax, and think about which top university you'd like to attend."
Principal Zhong knew that a lot of representatives from top universities would soon come looking for him.
They would ask him to get in touch with Ling Zhan.
After all, he was the champion of Nanzhou Province's Entrance Assessment! And the first person in history to win that title as a Jobless Freelancer!
A talent like him was sure to cause a sensation among universities across the country.
Ling Zhan politely said goodbye to Principal Zhong.
Then he turned and headed home.
Su Rou had wanted to come over and greet Ling Zhan, but could only watch him go with disappointment.
From that moment on.
Ling Zhan's high school career was officially over.
He was about to begin an even more exciting university life!
At the same time, he would face even graver challenges!
They said that once you entered a top university, things were nothing like the minor scuffles of high school.
Regular assessments would send students to conquer unknown secret realms.
People died all the time.
The dozens of students who had died in this trial secret realm were a stark warning.
It was also a reminder to every examinee: since you'd chosen this path, you had to be prepared to face death at any moment!
Ling Zhan's home was not large.
It was only fifty square meters, with one living room and one bedroom.
When Ling Zhan got home, the place was dim.
He was the only one there.
Ever since he had crossed over from Earth into this world of divine job changes.
He had been an orphan with no parents.
His grandmother had raised him.
Ling Zhan's parents had both been teachers. More than ten years ago, during a joint university entrance exam, they had led a group of students into a trial secret realm.
Once they entered the secret realm, one student's careless action triggered a mechanism. This threw the secret realms into disarray and caused them to connect with one another.
Then countless monsters poured like a tide into the trial secret realm where Ling Zhan's parents were.
To protect all the students, Ling Zhan's parents resolutely stood in front of them and held back the monsters.
The students managed to escape.
But Ling Zhan's parents ran out of mana and were worn down by the low-level monsters, dying in the secret realm.
Ling Zhan's grandmother had passed away from illness a year ago.
Now, the only ones left in the whole household were him and the house his grandmother had left him.
Ling Zhan walked into the living room, where the memorial tablets of his parents and grandmother were displayed on the table.
He lit three incense sticks for them, then softly told them about what had happened that day, speaking to them as though to himself.
When he was done.
Ling Zhan went into the kitchen in a gloomy mood and cooked himself a bowl of noodles.
After thinking it over, he took out an egg too, as a reward for his excellent performance that day.
After finishing his noodles, Ling Zhan finally let out a slow breath.
People had to look ahead.
He returned to his room and sat quietly at his desk, thinking about many things.
They were all things related to his past and future.
The Dragon Kingdom's compulsory combat-job education and poverty-relief aid had helped Ling Zhan make it through these years.
All the basic equipment he had was handed out by the school.
Some students came from wealthy families and could buy better equipment.
Generally speaking, students taking the Entrance Assessment didn't keep using basic equipment. Even families in difficult circumstances would grit their teeth and buy their children a blue-grade weapon.
Only Ling Zhan had entered the entrance secret realm carrying basic white-grade weapons.
As for his three innate talents, Ling Zhan was satisfied with all of them—very satisfied.
He had only revealed one of his innate talents to the outside world: [Equipment Controller (F)].
As for [Mana Controller (E)] and the [Omnipotent (F)] granted by the system, he hadn't told anyone else.
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